James F. Spalding, born July 28, 1835, was an early pioneer resident in Kansas City, arriving in 1865. According to his obituary, in October of that year founded the first school in Kansas City, two years before the first public school. It evolved later into Spalding's Commercial College, a business school. The collection contains a variety of textual material and artifacts. Spalding died on August 17, 1916, in Kansas City. (His death certificate reads August 18, 1916.)